JeepcoMJ

I'm with eagle on the exhaust. 4.0's NEED back pressure. I've put a couple of larger diameter inlet/outlet mufflers on a 4.0, but always necked it down to stock, and only because they didn't make 'em in my size. and you're right, a 5 speed ax15 with 3.54 with 31's is equivalent to 235/75r15 on 3.07's. Our 88 MJ is on 31.7's with 3.54 gears and an ax15. Last tank I ran through it, got 26mpg with an accurate speedo...I have a huge collection of speedo gears to choose from and actually had the right one

the 2.5 flywheel is not flat in renix years.

you don't want the flywheels machined because they are concave and dished for the clutch to run appropriately

2250rpm

4 cylinders "sweet spot" is at 3200 RPM. that is where the hp and torque meet up on the same level. Don't be afraid to rev it. But I've got to say, your issue makes me think that you are running stock gears in it....a 4 cyl with 32's should be running 4.56 gearing. 4.10's is too light, and if yours was originally a 4 speed, then you have 3.55's, which would definitely cause the issue. I'd say it's a gearing issue rather than a clutch issue. My old 4 cyl 86 xj felt similar when i put 31's on it for fun, with 4.10 gears. I ended up not putting the lift on, putting nice stock tires on, and getting rid of it.

That's a bit rich for anyone. I've got a heavy duty clutch in my 86, and in my bro's 88. no issues with the firewall now, but I did make a reinforcement plate to go on the inside of the firewall (so the pedal didn't drop down a bit by putting it on the engine bay side). took 10 minutes. It doesn't get used for long hauls often, and the clutch isn't terrible...IDK why people are saying they're hard to push or deal with. Sure, in a drive-thru it's a bit much, but i'm not a fatty and don't eat from fast food places.

... friends don't let friends buy from dealers

Also pretty much finished the engine etc. Once I put it all together and mounted, before I put the wiring back on I hooked up a battery and jumped it to prime the oil up through the lifters, then put the valve covers back on, then wiring on. All that's left is to put the exhaust on it, put thermostat and housing on, and install. I'll be driving it for sure by saturday to put the 500 mile break-in oil change on it, another wash, and then see what I can get for it.

Pics

Well, with many special thanks to Paul at OCD detailing (On-Site Car Detailing), the jeep has been detailed inside and out. It turned out really well, and while it does have blemishes, it's a beauty at 5' away, and really hard to pick apart. He did a 2 stage buff and wax on her after a quick hand wash. Very reasonably priced, and he was very happy to come do it even though the jeep isn't fully assembled! Pics will be up in a bit!

Get money saved up before you do.

Well, motor is just about done. Juggling alot of projects so this is spare time stuff right now. intake cleaned and on, got a new oil dipstick tube as this one was fubar'd, valve covers cleaned, painted, thumbed on for now, everything is pretty well buttoned up except for the fuel rail...waiting on paint to dry. Tomorrow I'll be replacing the passenger inner axle c clip on the kmember, and outer seal, then putting the motor in the k-member, trans on motor, tcase on trans, wiring on all, starter in, fuel rail on. Then take the valve covers back off and jumper the starter to prime the oil pump and make sure oil is coming out everywhere it's supposed to still, button it up completely, get a compression test done, plugs in, coils on, and trans fluid in, then into the jeep it goes! coming along well. First time dealing with TTY bolts, but that was easy enough. first time timing a SOHC like this, too.

Had a good past couple of days scored this; can't do much better for $500. It's a $4600 plow retail, in damn near mint condition (except the missing face decal and slight corrosion on the top cap of the E58). no mounts or harness, but geeze that was cheap. it's a Meyer Drive Pro 68 6'8" plow. this rivals the Minute Mount, taking just under a minute to mount and dismount. And mounts are available for liberties, I have the universal clevis, controller, and wiring harness from my other plow dealings (I refurbish Meyer pumps throughout the winter), so a $200 mount for it and i'm all set for my v8 Liberty. Then yesterday I was browsing craigslist and found a bunch of 1995 Yamaha Vmax-4 snowmobile parts 2 minutes from my house. Turned out to be a complete 1700 mile 800cc engine in mint shape with nice smooth chrome bore and complete wiring, great shape, with odometer, and tons of other parts. Bought for $450, sold everything but the motor and CDI already for a huge profit, and now I can build my spare chassis up as an 800 instead of a 750 How about you guys? Any good non-jeep scores?

You can rent a uhaul truck and full trailer for a day for a very good price. or find a buddy with a truck to pull. I say you could do it with a cherokee, but would suggest a bigger vehicle. I got a buddy to haul my orange KJ home with his 07 duramax for a case of beer, lunch, and $ for fuel used. it was only around 5 hours round trip

250 miles is a bit far, but, Correy has borrowed my tow dolly and towed his MJ's both to MO, around that far away, with his xj. went well enough for him. basically, keep it at or under 55mph, plan on at least a couple pit stops to let the xj have a minute to cool down, stay in the right lane, and don't use overdrive. Don't brake hard (unless the situation calls for it), but rather let your foot off the gas extra early so the jeep has a chance to slow itself down If you have a dana 35, go very light on the gas pedal leaving stop signs. I have towed 3 liberties with my 99 xj 4.0 5 speed 4x4 and 8.25 rear. never had an issue

hp doesn't matter much on a diesel. torque is where it's at.

Engine is going well. will have it installed thursday, have prior obligations until then. I did not replace the timing chains or sprockets, because there was nothing wrong with them. I cleaned them as best as they can be cleaned with a parts washer to ensure there was no buildup or debris. didn't take the stains out, but that's fine. all chains fit factory spec.

lmfao

You noticed that too, huh? I agree. That diesel will rip that frenchy to shreds. First thing I noticed actually. second thing was that there's no provision for an alternator, and that kubotas use generators. it will be interesting to see how he solves that....will need an alternator that is internally regulated.

that guy needs to seriously rethink using a peugot.

that sounded good right up to the engine swap. I'm a fan of stroked 4.0's more than I am of LT1's lol.

Much appreciated! I'm not nearly as upset about this as you guys might seem to think. I'm just so use to driving an optioned vehicle at this point that it's frustrating. Most of that is probably based off of the fact that it is not my truck. You always love your own, despite it's flaws. No one will ever pry the 3800 from me, no matter what shape it's in. I appreciate all the feedback. You guys are great, and I love your support of these fine trucks! Keep it up!

Thanks. I don't hate the trucks. I love them. But I've got 3 and a half here if you include Automan's soon-to-be trailer. Just don't want or need anymore. Alot of why i don't want anymore is I don't have the time or money to save them all, space to store them all, or heart to send anymore to the crusher. Of the two that I own, one has 97+ update done, but I have to finish that, figure out fuel tank, do some body work, finish interior, paint, build a motor and trans, make a set of bumpers, and generally tighten down all of the bolts. I'll end up driving this one as a second vehicle for a bit, but it will get sold when the 3800 is done. don't want or need two mj's anymore. The other one needs a new bed, rockers, cab corners, some floor work, full on interior work, finish setting up the T5 for it, driveshafts, rebuild the buick 3800 (needs crank and bearings), paint....etc. My bro's needs new doors, bed (has rust above flares now, i'm not fixing rust anymore. I'll spend the money to replace it so it won't come back), one rocker, floors redone, general cleanup of interior, new seats, complete reseal on engine, and i'm sure the tranny needs some attention. obviously it will need paint. That's alot. All of this is why I agreed to let my dad sell our diesel comanche...it's rare, sure, but we just haven't got a use for it. That's not really the issue at hand though. Just curious if others liked creature comforts as much as I've grown to like them.

Lol. I actually don't like the exterior looks of the KJ one bit. but boy is it comfortable to drive these things. I'm not sick of the outward asthetics or even road handling of the MJ's....I'm just done with the straight-from-the-80's interior.

I know I'm burnt out on mj's...maybe that's part of my issue. having owned over 30 mj's, stripped over half of them, and rebuilt the rest, i just sorta have lost that soft spot that I used to have for them. I passed on buying several rust free ones or close to within the past 12 months. i'm just done with them.